02/24/2015

Many people in the construction industry are familiar with "Lean" Construction, and the Plan-Do-Check-Act/Adjust ("PDCA") cycle as an iterative management method to support continuous improvement on projects.

"PDCA Cycle" by Karn-b - Karn G. Bulsuk (http://www.bulsuk.com). Originally published at http://www.bulsuk.com/2009/02/taking-first-step-with-pdca.html - Own work. Originally developed for Taking the First Step with PDCA. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

While this four-step process is not specific to construction, informing practically every activity performed in the AEC industry, you can easily apply the process to on-site field labor, where trade partners and subcontractors step through these phases every day.

For example, a carpenter installing casework will: 1) PLAN by carefully measuring and verifying the existing conditions; 2) DO by putting the casework in place; 3) CHECK by inspecting with a level and a plumb; and 4) ADJUST the casework with shims. And the process repeats reiteratively until the work is correctly in place.

Note: In some cases, if the casework isn't installed properly, rework may be necessary. And "inspect" need not be a formal inspection by an Authority Having Jurisdiction; it can be an informal check of the quality of installation by a skilled trade partner. When the work is inspected and completed, as-built information must be recorded. However, since most work goes in right the first time (doesn't it?), and since most field laborers do not necessarily develop the as-built documentation themselves, let's ignore rework and combine "as-built" with inspection, to reflect what the field labor actually does.

In addition to being reiterative for a single trade, the process is also progressive in the "parade" of trades on a project site. In our casework example, the carpenter cannot plan his work by doing layout in the field until after the rough-in and drywall are completed. Furthermore, the installation and as-built documentation of the casework then in turn leads to planning and layout for the countertops, and subsequent trades. In this way, the final state of as-built conditions for one trade becomes the point of departure for the next.

Unfortunately, documentation on the project site does not cleanly follow this process and progression of labor. As-built records are poorly kept during the project, and trade laborers are rarely responsible for sharing accurate as-built drawings in real-time to assist fellow trade partners. Significant time is wasted as each trade partner must become oriented to their task, measure conditions, and plan their work individually as if no previous information was recorded or available.

However, new technologies, such as "Reality Capture," and Autodesk Recap have the potential to disrupt the PDCA cycle, and allow compressed cycles among trades by sharing information. With instruments to capture reality (laser scanners, photogrammetry, etc), "layout" ("plan") and "inspect" ("check") merge into the same activity, where one trade's inspection artifacts become the layout documents for the subsequent trade!

Or, to put it more generically, "Recap" technology enables a two-step process, rather than a four-step process:

Of course, the process is cyclical and reiterative, both within a single trade and between the trades:

As one trade scans their installed work, the Recap artifact as a 3-D document can be instantly re-used/re-purposed as the layout-information for the next trade.

There is a tremendous opportunity to save time and effort across the breadth of a project, between the dozens (hundreds?) of trades that are involved in "check" and "plan" activities.

Of course, it will take more than a laser scanner to change the everyday workflows in our construction industry; it will take strategic thinking, process changes, and training for all personnel who touch a project. Some construction professionals are already getting started doing just that, at events like the Real2015 conference in San Francisco. Others are engaging business consultants, hardware vendors, and software developers.

02/19/2015

Budgets are tight and time to put together a good training program is scarce. Let’s look at the Navisworks 2015 features to help you maximize your efficiency with the current product features. As a past BIM/CAD manager, I know how important it is to prove to your manager that the team is using its program investment to the fullest.

Integrated 2D & 3D quantification provides a new method for generating quantities from and alongside a model. It also provides the opportunity to go from highly detailed models to virtually no details while still enabling proper quantity takeoff. This flexibility provides powerful quantification tools to benefit the pre-construction process when using BIM.

2D quantification tools in Navisworks Manage and Navisworks Simulate add more powerful quantification to the coordination model. The introduction of 2D takeoff enabled integrated 2D, multi-sheet files, and 3D quantification for multi-format project datasets. With this feature you can generate accurate quantities for the resources required on your projects using a combination of models and sheets.

The power of the 2D quantification takeoff allows you to mark up line geometry on a floor plan or other worksheet. The markup will then appear as an object in the quantification workbook, displaying properties such as area, perimeter or length. You can trace linear markups to measure a wall or the perimeter of a room, or use area tools to record the extent of a surface, such as a floorspace. You can also place markup pins on 2D sheets to perform a count takeoff.

The Polyline Markup tool lets you measure single or multiple line segments, while the Rectangle Polyline Markup tool lets you measure rectangular line segments. The Area Markup tool lets you measure free form areas which can be useful to measure irregular room or corridors. The Rectangular Area Markup tool lets you measure rectangular line segments, for instance, to measure a room’s wall perimeter. Each rectangle polyline markup that you draw will create a takeoff object in your Quantification Workbook, calculating the length and or perimeter.

Several editing markup tools enhance the management of markups. The select tool lets you select one or more markups that you have made for editing. You can use the CTRL key to select multiple markups, and, once you have selected a markup you can move, delete, or copy it.

If your sheets don’t have a scale associated with them you can use the Custom Scale tool to manually add a scale to your 2D sheet.

With the addition of 2D takeoffs, we made improvements to the Efficient 3D Takeoff. You can now drag parent groupings or an entire selection tree from your Selection Tree window onto an item in your Quantification Workbook.

This enables a single-click takeoff of large quantities of model objects. You can add notes or comments to the objects in the Quantification Workbook and by using the Property Mapping dialog; you can create associations between the object properties in your design files and the takeoff properties in Navisworks.

Another key feature in Navisworks 2015 is cloud rendering. To access this feature, sign into Autodesk 360. If you need to sign up for an account, click on Free Trial and follow the directions. Once you have signed up, you are on your way to taking advantage of virtually infinite computing power in the cloud to create high resolution renderings in a fraction of the time, and without the need for expensive hardware.

Cloud rendering enables you to render images using the Autodesk cloud, allowing your personal computer to save space for other tasks – helping you and your organization work faster and smarter. With this feature, you can render not only in Navisworks, but also in AutoCAD, Revit, and Fusion 360 from any computer.

With Rendering in Autodesk 360, you can:

Perform solar studies of designs in progress, to understand the effects of insolation and shading during the day.

Create panoramas, so you and your clients can navigate through the scene interactively.

Perform illuminance simulations of scenes, to better understand the effects of natural and artificial lighting.

The last feature in Navisworks 2015 that we will look at is integration with the ReCap. ReCap allows you to work more efficiently with point cloud data in your coordination and pre-construction workflows. It allows you to capture and integrate reality data directly into your design process with ReCap Reality Capture software and services. ReCap works with Autodesk suites so you can start your design with accurate 3D data and full photo-quality context rather than a blank screen. More to come about ReCap in an upcoming Beyond Design post.

With the enhanced Navisworks and ReCap integration, you can select between Conversion Mode options which include:

Project Link – each ReCap project is treated as a single object within Navisworks

Scans – each ReCap scan is treated as a single object within Navisworks

Voxels – each voxel (sub-group of points within a 3 dimensional space) is treated as a single object

You will also notice improved performance with Scans and Voxels options. Setting the Conversion Model to Scans or Voxels will allow greater granularity when working with point cloud data. For instance, accurately identify where a clash is located by undertaking clash detection. The Set Interactive Point Size will allow you to determine the display size of points as you navigate through your model. Larger point sizes will give your scans an improved feeling of solidity.

The On Publish Embed Xrefs option allows you to determine how you want ReCap data to be treated when including point clouds in your published NWDs.

The embed Xref option allows you to:

Disable – turn off the option to include ReCap data

Have fast access – tour recap data will be viewable as soon as the NWD is opened, your file size will be larger

Compressed – your ReCap data will need to decompress when you open NWD, but your NWD will be smaller

With these improvements you can handle models much larger than you previously were able to, allowing for new design and construction workflows.

02/17/2015

As we know, the data that BIM encompasses is massive. It is an overwhelming and comprehensive assortment of finite details---that when backed by a process, are invaluable to the success of a project. And while this information is undeniably important across all phases of construction, at times, visually interpreting that information can be a bit cumbersome. Especially if you are in the field, purposely focused on a single aspect---a single scope of detail that needs your immediate attention.

Up until now, if you were in the field on your iPad navigating in a BIM 360 Glue model--trying to quickly and efficiently tap and swipe your way to a specific component or location, you had to spend a bit of time getting there. And yes, you could certainly create a specific view for that location enabling one-tap access, but as we all know, construction isn’t always linear. You set out to do one thing, and then get pulled to look at something completely different.

Today, we are excited to announce the new 2D map feature in the BIM 360 Glue iPad app which provides quick and intuitive location navigation.

Now instead of taking the time to tap and swipe your way through the model to find the component or location you are looking for, simply click the new icon in the BIM 360 Glue tray (see above) to enable the 2D (plan view) mode based on your current location in the model.

From there you can select the specific floor you were looking for to quickly jump to that level (see screenshot above).

Once you have found the specific floor location or elevation, you simply tap into the 2D plan in the spot where you would like to be taken to in the 3D model. Now you can quickly jump floor to floor, location to location outside of the 3D model---and then interact with the 3D model when you have to (or when you need to).

The good news is that we have made the process of tying the 2D view to the 3D model extremely easy. The key? Autodesk Revit. Your VDC/BIM team in the office can simply create a Revit project model with levels and grids, and this model can be easily merged with other project models in BIM 360 Glue to create an easy to navigate, multi-disciplinary model. You will need a Revit model with Grids and Levels and need to upload via NWC which was introduced in a BIM 360 Glue update last month.

The new feature is currently available for download within the BIM 360 Glue app on the Apple App Store. Click here to download today.

02/10/2015

Krystian Macek is a BIM 360 Field Product Manager at Autodesk. Krystian leads the efforts in helping companies in the construction industry improve safety, quality and commissioning processes through the lens of technology.

Having access to the latest version of your construction drawings in the field is key in reducing rework and cost. Think about how many times you've had a subcontractor ask you a specific question while on the job site. You need to make sure you have the most current set of drawings, which sometimes means even walking back to the trailer to get the latest update.

Now, BIM 360 Field has made it easier to confirm you're working with the most recent update of construction drawings by giving you the ability to manage different versions of the documents in your Library. With the newly released capability called automatic versioning, your team will always have access to the latest version of construction documents, with the ability to view the history of any document through older versions in the Library. Anytime you upload a document, a new version is automatically created and that new document is "slid" under any pins or markup that you created.

BIM 360 Field Versioning

How does it work?

Click on the triangle on the bottom right of the document to open the document history where you can see all past versions and any tags or locations associated with it.

How are my versions sequenced?

Versions are ordered according to upload date. Document managers have the option to revert to an older version by simply uploading the specific version again or by clicking delete next to the current version from the top.

Where are the latest versions shown?

You can find the most recent document in the Library thumbnails (in Pushpins view), and on attachments from the Library in issues, tasks, checklists, and equipment. The latest document version "slides” under everything completed with the prior version and is always available on the web and on the BIM 360 Field iPad app.

What happens to my markup and tags?

All markup and tags are automatically transferred to your latest drawing version. New versions of documents are automatically “slid” under wherever the document is referenced from an issue, location, attachment.

Thank you to everyone in our BIM 360 Field community who suggested document versioning enhancements. We appreciate your input. Please keep the ideas coming!

If you would like to learn more about BIM 360 Field, please feel free take our virtual tour here. It is one of the easiest ways to understand the product functionality based on your role in construction.

01/12/2015

It's fair to say I get overly excited about small improvements in our products, and this is one I've been waiting for a few months for.

When pushing a model from Revit to Glue historically we have created a lightweight DWF file to push up to BIM 360 Glue, this minimises the bandwidth used rather than uploading the entire Revit model, and allows you to run the faster iterative design review more quickly. In the latest release of the Revit exporter in BIM 360 Glue we now give you the option to push to DWF or the Navisworks NWC file format.

You may be wondering why you may want to use NWC to push to Glue instead of DWF as you always have. The main areas of improvement are: -

Viewing of materials has improved, any materials that come from the standard materials library will be available to view on any machine which already has the library installed, e.g. current versions of Revit, AutoCAD or Navisworks. Note: This isn't currently available through the iPad.

Improved colour support, this is important for your MEP especially to help easily define between HVAC and sprinklers for example.

Improved object names and model tree hierarchy, This will allow you to identify similar elements or look at items by Level or floor as you have had in Navisworks for years. Also the naming convention in DWF typically picks up the Element ID of the object, NWC just has this information as a property, reducing the chance of confusion and making it easier to create Sets for BIM 360 Field and when you open the live file in Navisworks.

Improved Property support, the NWC file will bring through properties in the same way as Navisworks allowing you to access a wider range of properties. You'll also see that you can access different groups of properties within the model using the dropdown. So you can quickly find information about Phasing, or materials of that item.

This also improves the way you can map properties for BIM 360 Field. With improved naming of items and the fuller range of properties available you can right click and Create an Equipment Set from any item or Property, which can then be used in BIM 360 Field to collect information against that item.

Of course you can still use DWF for existing projects or for specific requirements but we think you'll like the improvements available by using NWC with BIM 360 Glue.

11/24/2014

Quantification in Navisworks has now been available for around 18 months and during that time I've shown it to many customers, whilst there are obvious benefits for the estimators and quantity surveyors, the people who seem most excited about the possibilities are not in those teams, why?

A typical Bill of Quantities can take weeks to build, verify and validate, this can be dead time for planners, site managers and buyers who need to make rough estimates in the meantime of quantities needed for purchases, transportation needed for planning and many more tasks on any construction project. Whilst not dismissing the BoQ, as it's an essential document for contractual reasons and verified accurate quantities, Quantification from models can free up essential resources at a key period and empowers many more in the supply chain to make better informed decisions when it is relevant to them. It allows for the extraction of key information from the model and project, a key principle of BIM, which allows you to utilise the model for many purposes.

As with many other parts of the Autodesk portfolio, working with a single tool can solve a business need, working with multiple tools together can solve multiple needs to people who have never seen the need for BIM in their workflows before. These videos demonstrate the first in a series of potential powerful workflows that can help site managers, planners, buyers and more utilising Quantification and various other tools in the Autodesk Construction portfolio.

Remember you can quantify from Revit files, DWFx, DWF and IFC out of the box, a PDF reader is available through the App Exchange, and you can easily map more quantities by using Takeoff Mapping on the Item Catalog Toolbar.

A quick video demonstrating how you can use your construction simulation to look at the Quantities associated with task start dates from Timeliner by using drag and drop

A video allowing you to check the quantities of undelivered items which may allow you to check for appropriate storage, or just verify what is missing.

11/20/2014

I recently participated in an interview with BIMcrunch, a UK industry resource. I talk about my favourite buildings and where I see value in BIM, and some of my favourite Twitter accounts, take a look at the link below: -

11/17/2014

It's not long to go now, 2 weeks and we'll all be at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for Autodesk University 2014!

The good news, alot of you have signed up for my class, a follow up to the popular Star Wars themed class in 2012, "CO6968 - The #EmpireBIMcrew Strikes Back", talking about the renovation of the Millennium Falcon using BIM 360, Point Layout and Recap. So many of you have signed up, it's now full, so thank you, can't wait to see you there!

For those specialist fabrication contractors there's the MEP & Structural Fabricator Forum on the Monday, this $300 one day event is sold out, but if you are interested in attending let us know and we'll see if we can find paid access. I'll be speaking with Matt Potts from the Fabrication team about how "Utilizing the Cloud" can help your workflows, we'll be showing some of the workflows between our fabrication products and the world of BIM 360!

For those on Twitter I'll be tweeting from @leeroyb, and feel free to post your favourite Star Wars links using the #empireBIMcrew Twitter hashtag. I also have a Pinterest board of some of my favourite Star Wars pictures, use the hashtag #empireBIMcrew. Also follow @AutodeskU and #au2014 for the latest on the conference.

Don't worry if you can't be there, key sessions will be shown live and there's a wealth of classes that will be available after the event at au.autodesk.com

Most of us from the blog will be there, whether it be at the returning Construction Zone, Answer Bar, Demo Theatre or generally roaming the corridors, feel free to come up and say hi!

11/03/2014

When we launched the new BIM 360 Layout app and feature within BIM 360 Glue, we also updated Autodesk Point Layout to accommodate the capability of easily pushing and pulling models with layout points to and from the BIM 360 Glue web environment. These updates put the finishing touches on a digital, model-driven ecosystem that connects the point creation process in the office directly to the construction layout process on the jobsite. (See the workflow diagram here: http://beyonddesign.typepad.com/.a/6a014e87fbd82d970d01bb078ec3fb970d-pi) And with the connections between client, cloud and mobile in place, we now could start on the next horizon...content.

Content, Content, Content

So less than a month after introducingBIM 360 Layout to the market, we are now dedicating time to working with component vendors to extend the ecosystem by adding their content to the workflow. The ultimate goal is simple: Create a plug and play library of modeled components with Autodesk Point Layout points that can be easily dropped into a model and then pushed through the ecosystem.

Imagine working in Revit, detailing your mechanical runs of duct or pipe, and being able to drop a deck insert as a Revit family into your model. Then, once the insert is placed throughout your model, you can upload into the BIM 360 Glue web environment---knowing that the Autodesk Point Layout points (needed for field layout) are already in the Revit family. From there, your field engineer opens the BIM 360 Layout app on his/her iPadTM---downloads the model with points and begins laying-out and staking those insert locations for installation. That’s an ecosystem!

Enter Powers Fasteners

We are happy to provide access to our first components modeled as a Revit family---with Autodesk Point Layout points available for this workflow: Powers FastenersWood-KnockerTM and Bang-ItTM Concrete Inserts.

For those that don’t know the folks at Powers Fasteners, they are a global company specializing in the manufacturing and technical marketing of quality anchoring and fastening products for concrete, masonry, steel and wood.

To download the Revit model files, bookmark the resource page here or click on each of the links below based on your insert type. NOTE: The download link contains zipped model files for each of the different diameter sizes per insert.

10/30/2014

Tell us how you are pioneering BIM in your organization for a chance to be one of four lucky winners to attend Autodesk University 2014 in Las Vegas! Check out what some of our BIM champions are saying right now:

Daniel Brandenburg of Integrated Building Solutions tells us “The advanced capabilities that BIM provides allows me to coordinate with all disciplines a lot easier, faster, and more accurately. This product has saved my company and I, lots of time! I could see BIM becoming the standard. Keep up the awesome work Autodesk!”

Dennis Hopper of GE Healthcare says “Our model library is growing. Trying to explain or describe a 2D dwg as 3D is becoming a thing of the past.”

Andre Roy of EBC Inc mentioned “We're starting to integrate BIM 360 for our next big project, an art gallery. We're working hard (the BIM team) to show the company how important it is to go forward with these tools and how much of a leader we can be in construction in Canada by having the BIM tools helping all along the project for planning, interacting, all in real time, saving money and handing over great buildings to proud new owners.”